Only Mildly Dysfunctional
by Bunny Mina
Summary: Jen and Jonesy have always been at odds with each other. But as they try to find some common ground between them, is it possible their relationship could be something more? Jen/Jonesy
1. Tea vs Hot Cocoa

The alarm on Jen's cell phone went off at exactly 5:45 AM. She quickly shut it off and listen closely for any movement in the large Garcia-Masterson house. Nothing. No one in the house would even dream of being up this early, save for her stepfather, who left the house at five to be at work in the next city over by six. But he was long gone by now. Jen sat up as quietly as possible and pulled her favorite black hoodie on over the tank top she'd worn to bed. It was actually Jonesy's hoodie, but after she'd spilled pink fabric paint on one of the sleeves he'd told her to keep it. On her way out of her bedroom, she tucked one of her new chick-lit novels under her arm. As mindless as it is, there are very few girls that can resist a good chick book. Jen was no exception. She moved as lightly as possible through the halls ways of the house and down the carpeted stairs. The kitchen was immaculate, as usual. There was no way her mother would allow for a dirty kitchen. As much as her stepbrothers would mess up the rest of the house, this room was her mother's sanctuary, and even the smallest drop of spilled juice was wiped away before it had time to settle itself on the marble counters.

Someone had left the tea kettle on the stove. This was odd. No one even drank tea besides Jen and her mother (Courtney, Jen's sister, was a major coffee girl). Who would have left it here? Jen lifted the lid to peer inside. Ew. That same person had left the water in it as well. Who knew what kinds of dust particles and bacteria had found their way in through the spout and settled in there? She sighed as she washed it out. Stupid. No one thought about these sorts of things. She refilled the kettle with fresh water and returned it to the burner, then settled herself on the counter top. Even though it was miserable to wake up so early, Jen liked having an hour or two to herself before the rest of the house was awake. There was no other time for her. The boys stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning playing video games, her parents spent the evenings going over bills and sharing funny stories from their day over orange juice, and Jonesy, Wyatt, and Jude dominated their living room in the afternoon (Jen tried to avoid that situation, because, although she loved her guy friends to death, their 'man time' usually ended up being chauvinistic and gross).

The water whistled. She snatched the kettle off the burner, the sound quickly dying out as if saying _'Thank god that's over!'_. She listened closely. Not a stir. Thank goodness. She browsed her tea options and chose Cherry Green Tea as today's winner. She poured a cup of water over her tea bag and made her way out to the deck. The weather was getting colder as fall drew nearer. She could feel the slight chill in the air nip at her bare feet and legs as she set foot on the wooden porch. When she, her sister, and her mother had moved in, they had put a wicker couch, a small round table, and a cozy rug or two on the already enclosed deck. It made for quite an inviting nook. She grinned to herself at the thought of curling up in her favorite wicker rocking chair and reading her book. Her good feeling left as quickly as it had came when she saw that her spot was already occupied. By Jonesy.

Yes. Jonesy (freakin' Jonesy!!!) was in her chair. With a cup of hot cocoa. With glasses perched on the end of his nose and he was READING A BOOK OF HIS OWN. Jen didn't know what to think. She'd been so excited about her alone time. She never had time to herself. All by herself. Why was he here? It was like he had a talent for messing up her plans. Her mind raced. _'He's in my chair. That jerk is in my chair! And he's got a hot drink. HE must be the one who left the kettle out. Doesn't he know about dust and… and bacteria?! Gah! Doesn't he care about our health and well-being?! And he's reading! Does he even know how to read? Like, how to read REAL books? He doesn't even LIKE books. What exactly IS he reading? Sci-fi. Figures. He's so predictable… and he's IN my CHAIR!!!' _

Jonesy looked up from his book and smiled. "Mornin' Jen!"

"What-- the Hell?!" Jen hissed.

"Uh… Good morning? Like, you know, a salutation you give someone when you see them before noon?" Jonesy said, peering over the rims of his glasses. He flashed her a smirk, realizing he'd inconvenienced her yet again. It gave him a small satisfaction.

"No! I mean, why are you in MY rocking chair reading a book, when I'm clearly here with MY cup of tea, MY book, and MY need for solitude?" Jen looked truly forlorn. Why did Jonesy ruin **everything**?

Jonesy frowned. "Because I've been up since 5 making MY cocoa, reading MY book, and enjoying MY morning. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to keep enjoying MY morning with out any interruptions for YOUR tea, or YOUR book, or YOUR crappy early-morning attitude." Jonesy took a good long sip from his cocoa as if he were trying to point out just how delicious it was.

"Maybe you wouldn't have to deal with MY attitude if you would just sleep late like every other teenage guy on the planet!" Jen was digging her nails into the paperback.

"Maybe I can't sleep because I have things other than 'woe is me, I have to put up with Jonesy!' on my mind!" Jonesy was now gripping the arms of the rocking chair.

"Well maybe I--wait. What do you mean you have stuff on your mind?" She was suddenly overcome with concern. "What's going on?" Jen set her book down on the table and took a step towards Jonesy.

"It doesn't matter. You just read your book." He abruptly grabbed his now-empty mug of cocoa and marched past her.

Jen made an attempt to grab his arm. "Jonesy, wait."

"Don't touch me." He slapped her hand away. "I don't want to talk about it. Don't bring it up again." With that, he stormed into the house, leaving Jen alone in the cool fall air. By herself. Just as she'd wanted. Jen sank to the floor. She felt guilty, concerned, and pissed all the same time. How dare he treat her that way? But also… could she blame him? She did act like a total harpy to him sometimes. Most times. But he always picked on her too! And she'd obviously been concerned about him! But still…

Jen sighed. Stupid conscience. She quietly picked Jonesy's (surprisingly thick) book up from the small table, dragged herself back into the kitchen and felt the kettle. Still hot. Stupid kettle. She grabbed a new mug from the kitchen cabinet and filled it with water, then stirred in Jonesy's favorite hot cocoa mix. Stupid hot cocoa. She blew on the beverage briefly in an attempt to cool it off. Stupid heat. Jen started up the stairs with Jonesy's book tucked under her arm. Stupid book. When she reached Jonesy's room, she took a deep breath and knocked gently on his door.

"What?" came his annoyed voice through the thick wooden door.

"You forgot your book." Jen said.

"Just leave it at the door."

"Just let me give you your dumb book." Jen said, rolling her eyes. Stupid Jonesy.

"It's not dumb." The door opened. "It's a classic space odyssey about two--" Jonesy noticed the mug. He raised an eyebrow and pointed to it. "What's that?"

"I'm sorry. I'm a jerk."

Jonesy stared at it, considering the options. He took it carefully from her hand and gave it a cautious sip. "Needs milk." he said, which meant 'it's-cool-I'm-a-jerk-too-whatev' in Jonesy.

"I'm glad you forgive me." She smiled, as she pushed the book into his hands, walked down the hallway and slipped into her room without a look back, leaving Jonesy speechless in his doorway. He looked into the mug a second time and chuckled. Stupid Jen.

***

"Get down here! I'm leaving without you!" Jonesy called, still pulling on his shirt, a piece of whole grain toast still hanging precariously from his mouth.

"Honestly, I don't know how two people can oversleep on the same day." Jen's mother commented as she stuffed an apple into Jen's backpack. Jonesy threw her a bag of pretzels from across the kitchen as he stuffed several bags barbeque potato chips into the pockets of his baggy black jeans.

"Do you really need all those?" She asked.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Jen ran into the kitchen, pinning her hair back from her eyes. "Grab me a sports drink okay?" She reached into the fridge and pulled out what was left of the family's gallon of milk. She lifted it over her head and drank straight from the carton, though careful not to put her mouth on the rim of the actual container.

"I get the rest of it!" Jonesy ordered.

"Aye, Cap'n!" Jen said. She was now using the toaster as a mirror while she put on her mascara, whilst her feet slid themselves into her favorite pair of sneakers.

"Don't just stand there fooling with your makeup." Jonesy said hurriedly, as he slammed her favorite blue sports drink onto the counter next to her.

Jen stuffed the tube into her purse and grabbed the drink as she simultaneously pushed the milk carton into Jonesy's arms. "I'm done! Let's go."

"Bye Dad! Bye Emma!" Jonesy called over his shoulder while Jen waved to them. The door slammed behind the two teens as they rushed to Jonesy's car. The two parents stared in silence for a moment before Emma slowly lowered herself into a nearby chair.

"That was--" Emma was cut off.

"Why is it so cold!?" Jen came bursting back into the house and dashed upstairs. Jonesy could be heard complaining in the driveway. (_"Are you kidding me? What kind of person doesn't realize that it's cold in October?"_) Jen raced back through the kitchen, pulling a black jacket over her blue tank top. "Bye you guys! Love you!" Jen ran down the driveway and jumped into the passenger side of the car, which Jonesy had already started.

"Honestly!" Jonesy said. His angry metal band music was filling the car.

Jen turned it down a bit. "Don't start."

"Fine, fine." Jonesy slammed onto the gas and the car let out a roar before shooting forward.

Jen immediately felt sick to her stomach. "Oh boy…" She hurried to get her seatbelt on. She had a feeling she'd need it. As they flew down the road, Jen mentally conjugated French verbs for her upcoming test. Jonesy uncapped the milk carton between his legs and took a large swig. How had they both gone back to bed and slept for three hours with so much tea/cocoa caffeine in their systems? It was the most ridiculous, inconvenient thing Jen had ever heard of. And of course, it would have to be the day she had a club meeting before school. She'd missed it by at least two hours. In fact, she and Jonesy had missed first period by a good hour, too. She sighed. It was turning out to be quite a day. Jonesy spun his car masterfully into his school parking space.

"Go! Go! Go!" he shouted as they jumped out and raced toward the building. Jen could hear the car faintly double honk as Jonesy pointed the remote behind him to lock it.

"Why are _you_ running?" she asked Jonesy. "You don't care about school."

"No, but I care about my presentation with Wyatt" he replied.

Jen gasped. "Is that today?"

"Of course. It's always the day everything goes wrong." Jonesy remarked, picking up his pace a bit.

"You're screwed." Jen mused, matching Jonesy's speed.

"Not if I get there in the next seven minutes. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"It's me."

Jonesy shrugged. "True." They reached the door and Jonesy threw it open as hard as possible, allowing them to only lose a little speed as they crossed the threshold.

"Good luck!" Jen called as they parted ways.

"I'll need it." Jonesy replied. His footsteps echoed off the walls. "No! Stairs!" Jen heard him cry as he fought his way to the second floor. She reached her class in time to catch the end of her history teacher's War of 1812 lecture. She slipped into her seat next to Caitlin, panting from her mad dash.

"Rough morning?" Caitlin whispered.

"You have no idea." Jen quietly tore a corner of paper out of her notebook and scribbled down the morning's events from first tea to hurried milk and passed it to Caitlin.

_Woah! What do you think he meant 'stuff on his mind'? _Caitlin wrote.

**I have no idea! I'm concerned about it, but he said not to bring it up. **Jen replied.

_Do you think it has to do with girls?_

**Probably not. Jonesy doesn't brood over women. He just lets them come and go as they please. **

_True. He's pretty chill about girls. I'm really curious now…_

**DON'T ask him about it!**

_I won't! I'm just saying I'm curious. _

"If you'd like rejoin my class, Miss Cooke, I'd greatly appreciate it." their teacher said.

"Sorry!" Caitlin stuffed the note under her book. He gave her a withering glance and went back to his lesson. Caitlin shrugged in Jen's direction and motioned that they would talk about it later. Jen sank down into her seat. Ugh. Only 6 more hours until she could go home.

***

Jonesy grabbed the doorjamb and used it to redirect his momentum into the classroom. "I'm here!" he shouted. The class giggled.

"Congratulations, Mr. Garcia. I believe your friend Wyatt's been waiting for you." The stout, bald teacher referred to only as 'Smith' motioned to Wyatt who was looking at Jonesy with an expression of relief. "I hope you're ready to present, because you have…" he checked his watch. "Oh dear! Five minutes! Better hurry, then, mustn't we?"

Wyatt leaned over to Jonesy and whispered. "Where were you, man? You look exhausted."

"It's only been a few hours and this day has already been ridiculous." Jonesy replied. "I'll tell you about it later."

"All right! Enough whispering! Start. Four minutes, now." Smith looked at the two boys expectantly.

"Here's goes nothing." Jonesy said under his breath. "A molecule is arranged into…" He began. This day could not end quickly enough.

***

I thought that there weren't enough Jen/Jonesy fics out there, so I decided to write one. Enjoy!


	2. Billiards

Jen and Jonesy oozed through the front door wearily. Jonesy closed the door behind them, leaned against it and slid limpidly to the floor. On the way down, his foot hooked Jen's and she, too, fell gently backward onto the door and began her own slow descent to the ground. Finally, the two settled on the welcome mat. Jen could only see the 'me' of 'Bless Our Home' peeking out from behind her left knee.

"Today…" Jonesy began.

"…was awful." Jen finished. She let her head fall on Jonesy's shoulder and , in turn, felt the weight of his own head on top of hers. "What happened to you?" she said, closing her eyes.

"Wyatt and I had ten points deducted from our original score because I was late, I forgot my hockey mask at home which meant major drills, and Caitlin was acting suspicious all day. It bothered me. You?"

Jen pretended not to notice the bit about Caitlin's behavior. Stealth had never been her blonde friend's forte. The less attention she gave the situation, the more likely it was that Jonesy would forget all about it. "Rough history class, rough French class, rough every class really. Plus, I almost got detention for wearing a tank top to school. Stupid dress code."

"Forgot your blouse, eh? I've had that effect on girls before. Don't worry about it. You're completely normal." Jonesy smirked.

"Ugh, and YOU'RE completely disgusting. No, I was just in such a rush this morning my mind was thinking 'dressed' when it should have been thinking 'where in heaven's name is the rest of my shirt'. At least it's over now." Jen and Jonesy heaved a simultaneous sigh.

At that moment, Jonesy's father rounded the corner whistling his favorite show tune. He paused in surprise at the sight of his two eldest children draped over each other like blankets, both sporting matching feelings of desolation. "Tough day?" He asked.

"I can't even describe it." Jonesy replied. Jen groaned in agreement.

"Wait right here. I've got just the thing." Mr. Garcia held up a finger and retreated to the kitchen, where Jen and Jonesy could hear him rummaging in the cabinets. Jen found just enough strength in her to look up at Jonesy who returned her gaze with a don't-ask-me-I-have-no-idea expression. Moments later, their father returned with two glasses of orange juice. "The perfect pick-me-up. Vitamin C works wonders."

"Is this why you and mom always have orange juice when you get home in the afternoon?" Jen asked, taking one of the glasses from him.

"Yup. I wouldn't go a day without it." he replied. "My own father would bring me orange juice when I was feeling down. Enjoy!" He ruffled their hair and left them sitting silently in the entryway.

"…Orange juice also has Vitamin D." Jen said finally, taking another sip. It was the only thing she could think of to say at that moment. Jonesy had already chugged his and was contemplating having another. He stared at the bottom of his glass intensely. "Well, don't burn a hole through it." Jen remarked.

"Hey Jen?" Jonesy asked.

"Yeah?"

"You remember what I said earlier? About being worried about stuff?" Jonesy attempted to use gravity to acquire the final drops of his drink.

"Yeah…" Jen knew she was treading dangerous ground. "What about it?"

"Well, I don't want you to worry about me or anything. I'm okay. I know you're the type to freak out and spend countless hours brooding over what could be bothering me and what you can do to help, and I know that you do it because you care, but seriously, don't worry about it. If something was really bothering me, I'd come to you first, anyway." Jonesy had given up on the final drop of juice. It obviously wasn't meant to be his.

"You would? Why?" Jen sat up a bit.

"I dunno. I just would. I guess I just… value your opinion more than anyone else's." Jonesy stood up abruptly causing Jen to fall suddenly sideways. She hurried to catch herself. "I'm getting more juice. Dad was right. It totally works." With that, Jonesy ambled out of the entryway, leaving Jen to wonder what he meant.

Sometimes, Jonesy Garcia could be the most complicated person in the world.

***

"Let's all go out tonight." Jonesy said to Jen, who was working out a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table.

"It's a school night, Jone." Jen said, shortening his name out of laziness.

"I know what day of the week it is! All that I'm saying is to look at it this way: we've had a rough day and I'm sure everyone else wouldn't mind getting to hang out and all that and I reeeally want to go play some pool." Jonesy pulled up a chair and sat facing the back of it, his arms crossed over the top. He looked at Jen with big eyes. "Please?"

"You're plan would be flawless if everyone but you and I hadn't signed up for AP Government. They've got a project due tomorrow that they aren't going to want to mess up. It's only worth half their grade." Jen smirked, feeling triumphant.

"Boo." said Jonesy. "I guess you and I will have to go by ourselves."

"Yes. I guess we wil-- woah, woah, wait a minute, I've already got plenty of stuff to do around here and--" Jonesy had grabbed her hands.

"Jen, Jen, Jen, don't act so seriously!" He now stood on his chair, treating it as if it were a soapbox. "You've got to learn to live a little! Take life by the horns! Live like you've never been hurt!"

"I believe the expression is '**Love** like you've never been hurt'." Jen corrected.

"Whatever!" Jonesy brushed away her comment. "The point is, you can't just sit around the house all day worrying about your stupid French verbs and your impossible crossword things."

"My French verbs aren't--"

"Yes, they are." Jonesy stepped down and gave her a serious look. "Jen, do you want to wake up one day and realize that everything you've done was safe and boring?"

"Well, no, but I think you're being a little dramatic." Jen said.

"Exactly! I'm enjoying my dramaticities!" Jonesy said, grinning.

"I don't think that's a word…" Jen said.

"Make up your own words, I say. If fact, you can make up your own words tonight. Over pool." Jonesy decided.

"I'm not going with you." Jen crossed her arms. Jonesy could be so stubborn sometimes.

Jonesy sighed. "You're right. What was I thinking?"

"Thank you! I knew you're see it my way." Jen smiled in approval.

"I mean, I certainly wouldn't want to lose to me in front of a whole pool hall full of guys, either."

"Psh. I wouldn't lose. I never lose." Jen said confidently.

"Well, not when you're playing someone else you don't. But against me…" Jonesy trailed off.

"I could totally beat you!" Jen said defensively. "I'd beat you in a heart beat!"

"Then prove it." Jonesy challenged.

"Okay, I will!" Jen said, standing up. "Tonight, I'm going to annihilate you at pool!" she declared.

"Ok! See you there!" Jonesy said in a chipper voice, prancing (yes, prancing) out of the room. Jen was, once again, speechless. She'd lost count, but it must've been the third or fourth time he'd left her mind devastated that day. And honestly? It was starting to wear on her. She sighed and tried to concentrate on her puzzle again. A nine letter word for trickery? Somehow, she felt Jonesy might know the answer to that one…

***

"Rack 'em up!" Jen ordered, as Jonesy slipped two coins into the pool table. The table lit up briefly around the edges, then presented them with fifteen pool balls. The balls rolled spastically around the table before they finally settled.

"I believe you know how to play?" Jonesy said, as he deposited the balls into the rack and carefully positioned it.

Jen leaned against her pool stick. "I'm pretty sure I proved that when I beat you in our practice round."

"I'm still getting warmed up. No one takes a practice round seriously."

"We'll see. I wouldn't want you to 'lose to me in a whole pool hall full of guys', though. Might be pretty embarrassing," Jen smirked.

"Don't bet on it." Jonesy said casually.

Jen rubbed her chin. "Hmm… actually, why don't we? Bet on it, I mean. It would certainly make this whole thing way more interesting. I mean, I win, you lose, you have to do something you don't want to while I sit back and laugh… seems like a fun time to me."

Jonesy looked intrigued. "What's your wager?"

"If I win, you have to wake up at 5:30 every morning next week and make me tea." Jen proposed, rubbing chalk on the tip of her pool stick.

Jonesy pondered for a second. An expression of glorious revelation appeared across his face. "Okay, I can agree to that. But, if _I_ win, you've got to kiss me."

"What?!" Jen exclaimed.

"The way I see it, you hate admitting that I'm attractive. But, if I've got it on record that you've kissed me, your whole defense goes out the window. Deal?" Jonesy looked unequivocally triumphant.

Jen weighed the pros and cons in her mind. If she agreed and lost, Jonesy's ego would be uncontainable. But at the same time, if she didn't agree, she'd never hear the end of how she'd been 'wise to quit instead of humiliating herself'. Really, it was a lose-lose situation. Her only possible win option was to, well, win. "Deal." Jen sighed.

The two shook and started their game. It started off very much in Jonesy's favor. He pocketed two balls (both solids) on the break, followed by another right after. Jen dreaded what seemed to be her impending loss. She'd never hear the end of it. However, a streak of luck (or skill maybe?) ended up winning her four sunk balls in a row, putting her in the lead. Jonesy seemed to have lost his game. He continuously scratched and missed his shots, which ultimately gave Jen another two pocketed balls. Only one was left.

"Looks like your going to win." Jonesy said, wistfully.

"I guess so. I hope you're good at brewing tea." Jen said. _'I should probably go easy on him. It's better to give him at least a fighting chance.' _she thought to herself. She let herself scratch on her next shot, which allowed Jonesy to place the ball wherever he wished within rules.

"I am. Well, I may as well give it my best shot." Jonesy took aim… and sank two balls at once. "Well, would you look at that? I've gotten two in! I wonder if I can keep it up?" Jonesy took aim again as reality sank into Jen. He hadn't been having a bad game, after all. Another ball in the pocket for Jonesy. "Looks like this is my last one, aside from the eight ball. What a run of luck, huh?" This one, too, went in and was soon followed by the game-winning eight ball. "Hey, I won! Who would have thought it?"

Jen punched him in the arm. "You totally hustled me! You didn't really scratch all those times did you? It was all a sham to make me feel bad for you and mess up on purpose to make you feel better!"

"Jen," Jonesy said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Do I really seem like the type to do that to my dear, darling stepsister?"

She pushed him away. "Of course you are!"

Jonesy shrugged. "You caught me. Now, about our bet…" He grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. He was totally loving this.

Jen groaned. "Let's just get this over with." Jonesy turned his cheek to her and pointed to it, raising an eyebrow. Jen looked confused. "You're not going to make me kiss you on the lips, like you want me to?"

"I'm not a completely bad guy. Consider it a consolation prize." Jonesy replied.

Jen rolled her eyes. "Some prize." She leaned towards his face and cautiously pecked his cheek.

"Oh, come on, that was weak. At least give me a real one for my troubles." Jonesy complained. Jen rolled her eyed a second time, but complied none the less and let her second attempt linger a moment longer.

"Happy?" she asked, grumpily.

"Quite." Jonesy said, beaming. His phone beeped in his pocket. He checked the message then grabbed Jen's hand. "It's Emma and dad. They're freaking out because we're not home yet and it's a school night, plus we didn't tell them we were leaving in the first place. We've got ten minutes to be back home before we're grounded for life." He began to lead her out of the building and into the fresh night air.

"I told you so." Jen sang, as the bartender waved and wished them a good evening.

"Yeah, yeah, just come on. I don't need to be grounded on top of everything else that's happened today."

Jen squeezed his hand a bit tighter as they reached his car. "What**ever**. I had to _kiss _you. It may have been on the cheek… but still." Jen fiddled with the zipper on her jacket, while Jonesy fumbled with his keys.

"I'd say that was the only _enjoyable_ part of my day." He finally got the car unlocked and dropped into the driver's seat. "Are you going to let go of my hand so I can drive?"

Jen blushed. "Sorry-- I didn't even realize--"

"Just get in." Jonesy grinned smugly.

Jen did so, sheepishly. They rode the whole way home in silence, with only the radio DJs (_"What could be lurking in your gas tank? Well, we'll tell you! Right after the break. Stay turned!"_)to fill the emptiness their lack of conversation had created. Jonesy parked in his usual space right behind Jen's mother's car. It had taken them seventeen minutes to get home. They were screwed.

"I don't want to go in." Jonesy complained, sounding like a child.

"The most enjoyable part of your day, huh?" Jen had obviously been thinking about this the entire car ride.

"Yeah, basically." Jonesy replied, picking at his fingernail.

Jen put her feet on the dashboard. "I can't imagine your day was THAT horrible."

"It wasn't. Circumstances have just lead me to appreciate such things." Jonesy continued to fiddle with his nails.

Jen raised an eyebrow. "Circumstances?"

Jonesy sighed and, unexpectedly, lost control of any sort of common sense he may have had. "I like you, Jen. It's weird, and awkward, but I do, and it's kind of something I'm not used to dealing with." Jonesy hurriedly shut off the car. "But, um, yeah, I think, uh, we probably shouldn't keep them waiting… or anything." He tossed the keys in her lap. "Lock the car up, okay? I'll go see if I can't chill them out a little bit or… something like that… maybe." Jonesy stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and walked briskly across the lawn, leaving Jen in the car alone. She sat there for a moment, with the dashboard, letting what had just happened sink in. Jonesy… liked her? Like, for real? But she was his stepsister! Not to mention they fought all the time. Oh my goodness! It had just dawned on her. It must be totally true that when guys always gave you a hard time and picked on you constantly that meant they _liked_ you! It all completely fit! No wonder people had been telling each other that for years, it was totally true! Jen jumped out of the car and locked it quickly as possible. She raced across the lawn and up the stairs, wallowing in her brilliant revelation to the extent the she forgot all about the fact that Jonesy had feelings for her. That is, until she saw him sitting on the couch, listening quietly to their parents scolding him. This, Jen realized regretfully, was not going to be a simple situation. Not in the very least.

***

_Can anyone figure out the nine letter trickery word Jen's looking for for her crossword puzzle? I'm just curious to see who'll get it… Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun with this one. Teehee. I like working with pairings that haven't been explored very much. _


	3. Maybe Me, Too

"How can this happen two days in a row?!" Jonesy shouted as he attempted to button his pants on his way down the stairs. It was more difficult than it looked. He and Jen were running significantly late… again.

"Don't ask me! I'm not the only one running late here!" Jen replied as she struggled to tie her shoes. She'd worn an average everyday t-shirt today to be sure there would be no more blouseless tank top incidents.

"You know, you guys are great role models for Robbie and me. Seriously, keep it up." Diego quipped over his bowl of cereal.

"**SHUT UP!**" Jen and Jonesy shouted simultaneously.

"Psh. Just sayin…" he replied. But his two older siblings didn't hear him. They were too busy grabbing food and supplies manically too argue with him any longer.

"I've got bananas!" Jen called.

"There's no more milk!" Jonesy shout-complained.

"You finished it yesterday, take orange juice."

"What about lunch?"

"Can't we buy it?"

"No cash!"

"Crap!" Jen hurried to fill two paper bags with enough food to satisfy two ravenous teens in as little time as possible. She reached for two bottles of water from the pantry to finish off her efforts.

"Leave the water, woman, we're burning time!" Jonesy ordered as he snatched bags from her and tossed them into his backpack.

"Sure! Fine! Whatever!" Jen ran out the door with Jonesy on her heels. "Be good today!" she called to Robbie and Diego, who stared in shock.

"Dude, don't _ever_ let me end up like that when I'm in high school." Robbie said, slurping his milk.

"I'm not sure it's possible for anyone with half a brain." Diego took a bite of cereal.

"I've totally got half a brain." Robbie mentioned.

"Oh yeah, sure, man. Don't worry. You're fine." Diego rolled his eyes.

***

"Why are we always late?" Jonesy revved the engine.

"It's only been two days in a row," Jen replied, buckling up. She was doing her best to be optimistic.

Jonesy was silent for a moment, considering this. "Still."

"It's your fault anyway." Jen replied.

Jonesy sped up and passed a granny driver, gripping the steering wheel. "My fault? How is it only MY fault? You were there too!" He turned onto the school's private road.

"Because you were the one who wanted to go, you were the one that tricked _me_ into going, **and** you were the one who didn't tell our parents in the first place. Therefore, it's your fault we were getting lectured until one in the morning and your fault that we're running so late. When you put it all in perspective, I was only along for the ride." Jen replied, inspecting her cuticles.

Jonesy realized too late that he'd forgotten his orange juice on the counter at home. He'd been looking forward to it. "I also took most of the rap so you wouldn't get in much trouble."

"Yeah… thanks for that, by the way." Jen said, feeling slightly guilty.

"It's the least I could do, seeing as it's 'all my fault'." Jonesy gave her a cocky grin.

"Har har, throw it back in my face." Jen opened the door as they pulled into the parking space. She didn't bother to run. At this point, she'd rather avoid Caitlin's inquiring looks.

"You know I will." Jonesy locked up and walked next to Jen.

"No project due today?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah. I'd like to be _just_ late enough to miss this class." He slowed his pace a bit.

Jen considered the evil look she'd gotten from her teacher yesterday and slowed down as well. "Good plan."

"Well, well, Goody-Two-Shoes Masterson skipping a class? **That's **pretty rare." Jonesy noted.

"Rare, but not unheard of." Jen corrected. "Hey… um, what you said yesterday…"

Jonesy pretended to be very interested in his zipper pull. "What? About… you?"

"Yeah…"

"I was… I was just messing around. I wanted to slow you down just enough so that I could take most of the blame. I felt bad about getting you into trouble with your mom and my dad and all that."

Jen noted that his knuckles were whitening as he gripped his bag. She wasn't too sure he was telling her the truth… and it seemed to be killing him. "You're sure?"

"Positive," he opened the door for her and then followed her inside. "Later, Jen."

She watched him stroll along the hallway and wished, for whatever reason, he wouldn't have denied what he'd said yesterday. She simply couldn't stand secrets. "Yeah… later…"

Once he was out of her sight in the stairwell, Jonesy paused and leaned against the wall. He took a deep breath and put his face in his hands, trying to calm his nerves. He listened intently to the silence of the stairwell. _'Why did I have to go and tell her that?' _He raked his fingers through his hair, his hands shaking. _'… I'm such an idiot.'_ He sank to the floor, balancing his weight on his haunches. He weighed his options on how to fix this situation. Obviously, Jen didn't feel the same way about him, and, to save his dignity, he'd have to prove somehow that he really **had **been joking. As if by fate, his answered presented itself in the form of… ladies. One of whom entered his sanctuary of a stairwell at that very moment.

"Jonesy?" She asked, tucking her long, curly red hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?" Jonesy couldn't remember her name. It had started with an M. Molly, maybe? Melinda? All Jonesy knew was that she was cute and she'd had a mild thing for him since their Freshman year.

Jonesy sighed and put on the charm. "Yeah. I've just had a _really_ rough morning." He looked up at her with soft, sad eyes. "I'm pretty worn out."

"Oh no!" She knelt down next to him. "Are you feeling okay?" She placed a hand on his forehead.

"I'm not sick." He took her hand off his forehead and fiddled with her fingers. She blushed. "I'm just, you know… really stressed out and all that and it's _totally _been taking a toll on me." He squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes. "You ever feel that way?"

"All the time! Especially around the end of the semester." She looked at him earnestly.

"Maybe we could do something sometime. You know, to get the stress off and all that. Just you and me?" Jonesy gave her a shy smile.

"Oh, totally! That would be so much fun!" She giggled sheepishly.

"I hoped you'd think so. What's your number?"

She wrote it out on his hand along with her name: Miranda. Of course! Jonesy remembered it now. She'd been their class president when they were sophomores. Nice girl.

"Thanks! I'll call you sometime this week." Jonesy smiled.

"Sure! Anytime is great!" Miranda ruffled his hair.

"Great!" Jonesy waved goodbye to her as she ascended the stairs joyfully. Well, that was easy.

***

Lauren, Kim, Anja, and Lily were also easy to get dates with if you knew what to do and say. Ask the environmentalist for advice on conserving energy, offer the volleyball player a bottle of water when she looked thirsty, etc. Girls love a guy who cares. True, it was sneaky and underhanded and probably made him a terrible person on some level, but Jonesy also didn't need Jen to give him suspicious looks every time he asked her to pass the salt at the dinner table. Besides, Jonesy was so over brooding over Jen issues. Maybe one of these girls would be likable enough to be girlfriend material.

Jen, on the other hand, watched each of them pass through Jonesy's life skeptically. They were all so… not his type. Heck, he'd even brought a goth chick home. She was _definitely_ not his type. What was Jonesy's deal, anyway, bringing home all these random girls? Sure, he'd dated lots of girls in the past and would probably date lots of girls in the future, but why so many all of a sudden? Surely, he wasn't having a self esteem crisis. It didn't seem to suit him.

Tonight, Jonesy was taking out Julia, the new employee at Grind Me. He breezed through the kitchen, smelling lightly of cologne and mint toothpaste. Jen sat cross-legged on the counter beside Robbie and Diego, who were watching him in awe. Though they would never admit it, to date so many girls in a single week… Jonesy was truly the master. Jen, however, thought it was ridiculous.

"So, what is this? Girl number twelve or thirteen?" she asked, snidely.

Jonesy shot her a look. "Eight."

"Only eight, huh? You're losing your game." Jen put her hands into her black sweatshirt (the same one Jonesy had given her).

"Only so many days in a week, Jennifer." he gave her a once over. "You look good in my clothes."

She gave him a playful kick in the side. "Get over yourself."

Jonesy turned to his brothers. "What do you think for tonight? Dinner, a movie, or both?"

"Dinner. Girls feel like it's more personal. Makes her more likely to feel like she knows you." Diego replied.

"A movie." Robbie disagreed. "You don't have to talk, but you can still get kissed."

The two younger brothers looked at each other for a moment. "Dinner and a movie. Dinner first." They said in perfect unison.

Jen stared in awe. Were all the Garcia men so devious? She wondered if their father had been the same way when he was young. Oh my gosh. What if he'd used the Garcia Deviousness on her mother!? Weird!! Noo!!

"You okay, Jen?" Jonesy asked.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"Woah! Not around me! I've got a date tonight!" Jonesy took a step back.

"Don't remind me…" Jen said, annoyed.

Jonesy cocked a grin. "Jealous?"

"More like horrified."

"Fantistic! And on that note, I'd better go. Don't want to be late." Jonesy said, pulling on his jacket. "Don't wait up."

A casual 'as if' was all Jen could think to say in response.

After Jonesy left, Diego turned to Robbie. "He's good."

"Real good." Robbie agreed.

"Ugh!" Jen hopped off the counter and went up to her room. The two boys looked at each other, then shrugged. Girls.

***

Before she'd realized it, Jen had, indeed, waited up for Jonesy. She'd watched two romantic comedies, written a report for school, and called everyone in the gang to chat. She hadn't realized why she was so antsy until she heard the front door open around midnight. Knowing Jonesy was home relaxed her immediately. Jen peeked out of her room and saw no one. She decided it would be a good time to brush her teeth before Jonesy commandeered the bathroom for the next hour like she knew he would. Jen tiptoed down the hall so she wouldn't wake up anyone else in the family and slipped into the bathroom.

"Knock, woman!" Jonesy shouted as quietly as possible, still pulling his belt out of his pants. "I was just about the get in the shower."

"I'm sorry I--"

"Trying to see me naked again, eh?" Jonesy wiggled his eyebrows.

"Trust me. Once is enough."

They stood in awkward silence for a while. Jen coughed. Jonesy played with a string hanging off his pants. He squeezed past her and proceeded to brush his teeth. "So, uh, what can I do you for?"

Jen snapped to attention. "Oh, uh, nothing, just wanted to brush my teeth."

"Beat ya to it."

"How was your date?" Jen blurted before she could stop herself.

"It went pretty well. Probably won't take her out again, but she was nice." Jonesy said, now working on flossing.

"Why not?"

'_She's just not you.' _Jonesy thought. "She's just not what I'm looking for. I mean, she was funny and smart and smokin' hot, but there wasn't a spark or anything, you know?"

"You wouldn't even use her for a make-out buddy?" Jen said, raising an eyebrow.

"I've... kind of grown out of that, I guess." Jonesy slid his tongue over his teeth, frowned, and brushed them a second time. Jen stared at him, slowly redefining him in her mind. Jonesy: a dataholic, loud, accusatory, obnoxious, secretly mature, genuine, caring, protective, spontaneous, criticizing, chauvinistic, stubborn, helpful, charming, fun loving… her mind raced with adjectives, both positive and negative before she realized she could only define Jonesy as … Jonesy.

Jen wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and rested her hand between his shoulder blades. "Thanks… for being Jonesy."

He smiled and put a hand over hers. "No problem, Jen."

"Jonesy, I need you to be honest with me. What's the truth about how you… you know… feel about me? Were you serious in the car that night we went bowling or were you really just kidding?" Jen held her breath.

"I was…" Jonesy looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't want to deny it anymore. "…serious that night we went bowling. Sorry, Jen. But I promise I won't bother you with it anymore! Just give me a little while, and I promise I'll get over you. I don't want it to be weird between us. Especially since we live in the same house."

"But I don't want you to!" Jen blurted out. _'Smooth Jen, very smooth…'_

Jonesy turned to face her, her arms falling away from his waist. "You don't?"

"No!"

Jonesy was trying not to let himself get to hopeful. "And why not?"

"Because… well, I mean, maybe…. Maybe me too? I mean, maybe I have a thing for you too?" Jen stammered to find the right words.

Jonesy grinned. "I knew you still liked me from that time when we were younger! Looks like the Jonesmiester is a hot ticket item."

Jen rolled her eyes. "You're a real catch, Jonesy," she said sarcastically.

He kicked the door closed behind them and kissed her in one fluid motion. "Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a shower to take."

"But I need to brush my teeth." Jen gave him a puppy dog face, hoping it would work now that she'd affirmed her feelings.

"Nice try. I may be your boyfriend, but I'm also your stepbrother. And the stepbrother half of me gets a real joy out of kicking you out." He picked her up, set her out the door, and closed it in her face. "Sleep tight, dear."

"Jonesy!" Jen could only hear him chuckle behind the door. In five minutes, he'd decided that he was her boyfriend, decided that he was still allowed to torment her despite their odd romantic relationship, and decided that she wasn't allowed to brush her teeth. She was caught between feeling ecstatic that they were together and feeling ripped off on the whole 'I'm still you're stepbrother' thing. This was going to be one weird relationship.

***

_I feel rather fancy placing the asterisks in the middle of the page instead of keeping them right aligned. Most of you probably didn't notice, but that's okay. It's more of a 'for me' thing. I like them this way. :)_

_Also, thanks to people that have told me I should be a writer, by the way! Both on this story and on Maybe Someday. I'm really flattered to hear that, since it's what I want to be once I finish college. Knowing that you think so gives me a lot of confidence. Thank you!_


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